It's Not Goodbye, It's 'See You Later....'

(posted October 12, 2010)

How fast time flies. Before embarking on this journey to Kolkata, India, I spent a few days in Maui, Hawaii.  I sat on the beach staring at the sea, cleared my head, and tried to get mentally prepared for what I was about to encounter.  I would be leaving for a month to India, a place I had never visited; a culture I had never experienced.  I only knew that I would be traveling with 9 other IBMers from 7 different countries (Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Holland, and the USA).  I would be working with a NGO (Non Government Organization or Non-Profit) called Iswar Sankalpa, whose mission was to help the homeless mentally ill.  I had no way to prepare for this, but tried the best that I could.

From the moment I landed in Dubai and met up with three other teammates from Argentina, France and Germany who were on the same connecting flight, I knew that the following weeks would be eye-opening, emotional, and life changing.  Just how, I did not know.

During the drive from the Kolkata airport to the hotel, I saw such a contrast of images.  From new construction to slums; people being driven in nice cars to others being pulled in a rickshaw; modern buildings to people sleeping on the sides of the road.  Some were images I have only seen on television where they are asking for money to sponsor a child.  Now I was in the middle of it all.

I was fortunate to be assigned to work with a wonderful NGO whose small staff are among the most dedicated and devoted I have ever seen or read about.  Watching them work with the homeless at the women's shelter, in the field at the train station, and the men's drop in center, was amazing.  They worked with and treated the patients as if they were family.  The co-founder/chairwoman/secretary, Sarbani Das Roy, is an extraordinary woman, a true humanitarian and teacher of psychology. She has so many inspiring stories which I have asked her to start writing down as they show her tenacity, dedication, and relentless pursuit in helping the less fortunate, that others would benefit just by reading them.  I will not forget our many conversations which usually turned into some type of psychology lesson, including how in unreason there is reason.

Thank you to the staff for the book "Gitanjali" by the poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore.  Being able to see his homes, museum, and university in Shantiniketan helped make it much more special.  I am glad that I was able to attend the Calcutta Inner City Rotary Club meeting on the last Friday and be there for the award Sarbani received.

After arriving at the office each day, Arnab was always there to greet us with a big smile.  He would offer us tea with milk, and it would be served in a very small, single use clay cup.  I would often joke that the tea was my medicine and I was really the patient; the one sent to Kolkata so while I thought I was helping others, in fact they were the ones helping me.  I will miss the chicken momo (chicken dumplings) and soup that we would get from the street vendor, and only wish that I would have tried it sooner as I enjoyed our walks down the busy sidewalk.

We were able to stay on target with the online database system and strategic plan, thanks to Samata.  Even though she teaches and works at the college six days per week, she still has the time, energy, and devotion to work with Iswar Sankalpa, as well as the two IBMers who suddenly showed up at the doorstep.  Being able to learn the system quickly and train the social workers was a huge help, as was translating all of the lengthy questionnaires that we were able to then compile into the strategic plan.  I will have to take a raincheck on the auto rickshaw ride, and will plan to do that next time.

I enjoyed the visits to the shelter, train station, and drop in center, where I got to watch the staff interact and work with the patients. I learned so much from our conversations, even though at times they probably felt like interviews.  Participating in the therapy sessions at the night shelter was a lot of fun and I promise to be ready with new songs next time.  I will also be training in order to beat Junee (sp?) at arm wrestling during the next visit to the men's drop in center.  As Dr. Mukherjee said in the office, we won't say goodbye, but "see you later".

Being paired with a great IBM teammate surely helped make this a good experience.  Thanks Minke, from Holland, Netherlands, and Amsterdam, for not cancelling your trip due to fears of tackling the unknown that was Iswar Sankalpa and the work they perform. We worked well together and balanced each other with the technical and non-technical parts of the project, and had fun along the way.  I hope you find your calling and let your positive energy and attitude touch more people.

If there is one way to describe living in the hotel/guest house for 30 days with 9 other people (along with staff and a few random hotel guests) it would be a combination of "Big Brother" and "The Amazing Race".  Aside from being able to leave, the only thing missing were television cameras and reality tv show producers.  Had they been there, I am sure our ratings would have been spectacular.

In addition to learning and adjusting to the culture in India, we had to learn how to interact and work with 7 different cultures on a daily basis. While team projects took precedence, we still managed to have a lot of fun.  There were moments of frustration and lack of communication, as well as taking forever to decide on where to go for dinner, but that is understandable with such a diverse group.  Should any of us get the opportunity to be on "The Amazing Race", we will be well prepared to reach each destination quickly thanks to the crazy taxi rides and being able to communicate with the drivers using as few English words as possible.  When we finally found live music at the Calcutta Cricket Club and Roxy nightclub, it didn't matter that it was always 80's night; we knew how to have fun and I am sure my fiancee will appreciate the free Argentine and French dance lessons I received.  I will never forget celebrating my 37th birthday at the hotel rooftop terrace with the whole team.  It was very special to me.

As a team, and individually, we've come a long way in such a few short weeks.  Being the last to leave the hotel on Friday night, October 8th, I took a final walk around remembering our experience. The hotel felt different; the energy which we brought, was gone.  It will now be relived through the photos and movies.
While waiting for my flight to depart from the Kolkata airport, I began to read some of the Tagore poems in Gitanjali.  I was ready to leave as our tasks had been accomplished.  I flew to Dubai where I would spend a few days getting a small glimpse of yet another culture. This one was 180 degrees different from that of Kolkata.  In the span of one week I have seen the poorest of the poor, and observed things from the richest of the rich.  I would sit on the hot sand and try to make sense of everything I just experienced; hoping I can share it with others the best I can.

And so my journey ends, as it began, staring out into the sea.

Iswar Sankalpa Team

 Sarbani Das Roy

Arnab and John Getting Chicken Momo from a Street Vendor

 Sarbani and Samata



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